Name: Elsa Oldfather

From: Thatcher, Ariz.

To: Tooele

Elsa Oldfather, 55, and her husband, Robert, 58, moved to Tooele in 2003 from Thatcher, Ariz. They searched high and low for a place to live.

"When we came here we went all over the Wasatch Valley from Draper to Bountiful -- even Park City," said Oldfather. "My husband said that some of the people he works with lived in Stansbury Park and that we should go and look at that area. When we first got off the freeway, we looked around and said, 'yes, we could live here.'"

The Oldfathers lived in Indonesia before moving to Arizona in 2000. They moved to Utah because of a job change. Robert works at the Kennecott Mine as Elsa works from home.

So far, the Oldfathers love the people in town.

"The people here are so friendly," Oldfather said. "They are very happy and add to the beauty that is all around here."

Oldfather said every time she is out of town for a few days, she can't wait to come back to Tooele.

"I do not get tired of this beautiful place," she said. "My friends and family come to visit us from out of town and they also think it is a beautiful place."

One of Oldfather's favorite things about Tooele is the proximity to the mountains and the Great Salt Lake.

"I let friends and family know that we have our own ocean and that the sunsets are beautiful over the lake," she said.

Though their stay in Tooele has been nice, there are a few things that Elsa wishes she could have brought with her from Arizona.

"I do miss my family, and the golf courses," she said. "I know they have golf here, but it was something else in Arizona."

If Elsa had one wish for her new hometown, it would be for the growth to slow down a little bit.

"I really don't want Tooele to grow so fast," she said. "I want it to stay as it is. That is why we moved here."

The Oldfathers will soon be moving into a new home in Tooele and hope to make their stay a long one.

"We aren't going to leave here for as long as I hope," she said. "We're close to retirement and this is just the place to settle down."

compiled by Steve Schwartzman

If you're a newcomer or know of a newcomer who'd like to share the story of why they moved to Tooele County, please contact Sarah Miley at (435) 882-0050 or via e-mail at swest@tooeletranscript.com.